Comments on: Are those the gut microbes of an unhealthy person, or a pregnant one?http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/08/02/are-those-the-gut-microbes-of-an-unhealthy-person-or-a-pregnant-one/
Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:00:51 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1By: Carla Davidsonhttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/08/02/are-those-the-gut-microbes-of-an-unhealthy-person-or-a-pregnant-one/#comment-15634
Fri, 24 Aug 2012 04:30:59 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=7349#comment-15634Ed your writing is fascinating again! And cool discussion. As for fecal transplants – I believe they were pioneered at the University of Calgary, but I should check. They are still done here but most often in patients’ homes to avoid the administrative hassle http://www.cmaj.ca/content/183/5/541.full. And not only is the microbiome important for digestion and immunity but also mood, and may be implicated in some cases of regressive autism http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22202440. And yeah, kids that grow up around farm animals or even household pets tend to have fewer autoimmune diseases, so stop with the antibacterials!
]]>By: John Obenauerhttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/08/02/are-those-the-gut-microbes-of-an-unhealthy-person-or-a-pregnant-one/#comment-15633
Mon, 06 Aug 2012 14:41:42 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=7349#comment-15633“But if such readouts can’t yet distinguish between someone in poor health, and someone with child, they clearly still have a long way to go.”

You’re not giving Koren’s research enough credit. It is very easy to tell if a woman is pregnant after a quick trip to the drugstore. If she’s not, and still has the third-trimester-like gut microflora, then she has a metabolic disorder.

]]>By: E. McCoyhttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/08/02/are-those-the-gut-microbes-of-an-unhealthy-person-or-a-pregnant-one/#comment-15632
Sun, 05 Aug 2012 10:56:53 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=7349#comment-15632Interesting work.
@Jan – yes – more funding needs to go to basic research. It’s a shame that NIH and NSF funding continues to be cut each year when there is still so much left to learn.
]]>By: R. E. Hunterhttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/08/02/are-those-the-gut-microbes-of-an-unhealthy-person-or-a-pregnant-one/#comment-15631
Fri, 03 Aug 2012 19:50:27 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=7349#comment-15631I can’t help but wonder how much our modern obsession with cleanliness (spreading bleach, alcohol and other antimicrobial agents everywhere in our homes, on our bodies, etc.) has to do with the increase in diseases such as allergies, asthma, obesity, cancer, and whatever else. It’s not pleasant to think about, but there’s only one route into our intestines for these bacteria.

I’ve read that in Europe C. Difficile infections are being successfully treated with fecal transplants, but so far the eww-factor has kept that treatment out of North America. In fact, a Canadian doctor was forced by the regulatory body to halt a trial of the procedure, even though it was clearly saving lives.

]]>By: Ed Yonghttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/08/02/are-those-the-gut-microbes-of-an-unhealthy-person-or-a-pregnant-one/#comment-15630
Fri, 03 Aug 2012 18:31:09 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=7349#comment-15630As to what happens after pregnancy, I asked Ley. They only took samples for the women one month after birth, and the microbes were still like they were in the third trimester. However, she says “But it does go back to normal, because for many of these women this was not their first child, and they were all normal at the first trimester.”

@Jan – Don’t worry. I think the microbiome people do a pretty good job of raising funds for this work. It’s clearly a growth area.

@Greg – Yes. Yes it is.

]]>By: Greg Williamshttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/08/02/are-those-the-gut-microbes-of-an-unhealthy-person-or-a-pregnant-one/#comment-15629
Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:12:29 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=7349#comment-15629I have now seen articles that suggest the microbiome impacts diabetes, heart disease, cancer and all autoimmune diseases. It also may give us the ability to draw nutrients from most of the food we eat and be the reason we developed the most sophisticated part of our immune system. And now child birth. It’s astounding how deeply we depend on bacteria.
]]>By: Jan Lundehttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/08/02/are-those-the-gut-microbes-of-an-unhealthy-person-or-a-pregnant-one/#comment-15628
Fri, 03 Aug 2012 13:10:05 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=7349#comment-15628Please. Readers. let’s agitate potential investors to fund this research. Micro, it appears, is mightier than Macro has ever suspected. THIS is basic science.
]]>By: QoBhttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/08/02/are-those-the-gut-microbes-of-an-unhealthy-person-or-a-pregnant-one/#comment-15627
Fri, 03 Aug 2012 11:39:04 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=7349#comment-15627Interesting. I’d love to see research on the same women after pregnancy; on women who developed GD during pregnancy; and on women who had diabetes or metabolic syndrom pre-pregnancy.
]]>By: Bobhttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/08/02/are-those-the-gut-microbes-of-an-unhealthy-person-or-a-pregnant-one/#comment-15626
Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:15:23 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=7349#comment-15626That is scary. I wonder when the microbiome has returned to its original state? Is some of the diversity lost forever?
]]>